


Who Is In Control

by Daiako (Achrya)



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Biting, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Explicit Sexual Content, First Time, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Verse, Rough Sex, Stress Relief, Topping from the Bottom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-14 04:24:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9161239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Achrya/pseuds/Daiako
Summary: Alpha was a word synonymous with strength and power to Togami Byakuya. There was no weakness in being an alpha...or there wasn't, until he found himself trapped in Hope's Peak as part of a sadistic killing game with a rut on the horizon. His control is slipping and soon he'll be weakened, vulnerable, in front of everyone.Naegi has a solution that leaves Byakuya wondering if he had the whole power dynamic backwards.





	1. First Things First

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place after the first trial so Byakuya is still very much in 'arrogant prick who has bad plans and should thank his lucky stars Mondo slipped up because who the fuck plays with crime scenes like that for funsies?' mode. His views on betas and omegas are...um. ...well. Not nice? It's fine tho. He's about to learn a thing or two. 
> 
> Female pronouns for Chihiro because Byakuya doesn't know he's a boy. Yet.

 

Alpha was a word synonymous with strength and power to Togami Byakuya; there were people who try to pretend otherwise, that all the secondary genders were equal, but most people knew the truth. Byakuya knew that it was true, that had he been born as anything less than an alpha he wouldn’t have had any chance of being family heir. Honestly his father probably wouldn’t have acknowledged him at all; there was no doubt that he had other, non-alpha, siblings but the alphas were the only ones he’d ever been concerned about. 

They were the only ones that meant anything. 

Alphas were more dominating; those who were on the high A-hormone end of the spectrum were able to use their voice and project their ‘presence’ to cow omegas and betas. Their senses were sharper, their bodies larger and taller (on average), and they tended to just...be better. The proof was in the numbers; world leaders, company heads, important historical figures all trended towards being alphas. 

Even at Hope’s Peak the number of alphas to omegas and betas painted a clear picture. While alphas were only twenty percent of the general population they were fifty percent of the school’s population, reserve students notwithstanding, with betas making up another thirty-five percent and the rest being omegas. Further Byakuya knew that the student council had been very alpha dominated, sometimes complete alpha, since the school’s founding.

Did it not mean something that in an environment where talent and skill were exalted that alphas would come out on top?

He’d been raised to be confident in the power being an alpha gave him, to believe it set him apart and above others in the same manner his intelligence, drive, or wealth did. Raised with the knowledge that he was to exemplify all it was to be an alpha if he was to be worthy and to do any less would be...shameful. 

He’d never imagined any weakness to be found in being an alpha but then he’d also never imagine that he’d wake up trapped inside of Hope’s Peak with a psychotic stuffed animal trying to goad him and his apparent classmates into killing each other. And, while he had no intention of losing this ‘game’, he hadn’t...he hadn’t expected any among the others to set to killing so quickly. 

He hadn’t imagined that Kuwata and Enoshima’s deaths would plague him after. He couldn’t put his finger on why it bothered him so much, to the point of keeping him up at night and haunting his dreams when he managed to sleep, but it did. He hadn’t particularly come to like Kuwata in the few interactions they’d had together, he hadn’t known Enoshima at all and it went without saying that he prefered anyone other than himself to be one to die.

It didn’t make sense to be so bothered. He didn’t know them, they weren’t his friends, they weren’t pack, they weren’t his family. They were strangers and annoying strangers at that. 

He needed to be focused on himself, on his own survival now that his fellow students had proven that some of them had not just the ability to kill (they all had that) but the drive. He needed to have a plan, to observe the others and learn everything they could, exploring to see what information he could find.  He needed to be ready for whatever might come next. 

He couldn’t afford to be compromised by fear or emotion. 

But instead of doing any that he was sitting at a table, alone, in the cafeteria watching Fujisaki with a focus he found...alarming. Especially since he’d caught himself doing it no less than six times before, kept forcing himself to stop, and then he’d start it again, unable to help himself. They had all assembled to discuss something or other, probably another conversation about not giving in to Monokuma’s twisted games and staying friends (The insistence on these fake friendships confounded him. When the time came did they really expect friendship to stay someone’s hand? To make them all okay with the idea of living in this school forever?) He found meeting with the others like this boring and tedious not to mention pointless and yet everyone continued to gather and let Naegi spread his little message of hope and friendship and the wonders of banding together. 

As if it wasn’t his little idol friend who had set the wheels of murder in motion. Or, perhaps, that was why Naegi was so determined. Perhaps it was guilt at not being able to stop the betrayal and first murder, of actually playing an unwitting part. He seemed like the sort who would hold onto that sort of thing, the kind who would internalize guilt over things beyond his control and then become all the more stubborn for it. 

Byakuya wasn’t sure if that was what the issue was or not, people’s emotional responses to things often made no sense at all to him, but he would figure it out in time. He would figure them all out. 

But for the time being, until someone died or Monokuma decided to force their hands again, they were in a holding pattern. Going through the motions of things, going over the second floor time and again, pretending things weren’t what they were, waiting. 

Which brought him back to Fujisaki. Who he was staring at. 

There were two problems, separately but the same, that contributed to his starting. 

The first problem was that Byakuya was without suppressants. Most alphas and omegas used them to wild dull their scents (because it was highly inappropriate to go around reeking like some sort of animal, which said nothing of the way alphas and omegas could project things and influence others with their scents and the lack of control teenagers had, which made them near mandatory in most high schools), to dull their sense of smell, to ward off heats and ruts, and to suppress the mating urge. But Byakuya didn’t have any. 

He’d had plenty when he’d come to Hope’s Peak, distinctly remembered putting a six month supply in his bag before leaving home but they were nowhere to be found. His uniforms were in his room, as well as his ‘casual’ clothing, there were a few personal items he remembered packing but the very expensive, specially formulated for his unique circumstances, suppressants weren’t among his things. 

He’d known they weren’t in his system right away and he’d been able to scent the other students, something that should have been impossible. He’d been able to pick out the alphas from the betas from the omegas right away (Though there was only one omega now that Maizono was dead) and that had been annoying enough but things were getting worse. Two weeks without suppressants and he could feel his body turning on him in small, uncontrollable ways. 

Annoyance and irritation with the other alphas caused by a territorial urge only he was feeling because, as far as he could tell, he was the only alpha without suppressants. The others wouldn’t feel the need to protect what was theirs, to mark their territory and force other alphas out of their space like he did. They wouldn’t chafe at the scent of other alphas; while suppressants dulled their scent they didn’t erase them but that effect combined with the turning down of their senses of smells made it as if they were all scentless. 

Their scents were faint to him but they were still there, strong enough to be bothersome. Like having something stuck in his shoe, and no matter how many times he tried to fish it out it remained, a constant irritant rubbing him raw. 

And then there was the preoccupation with the group’s lone omega even though he didn’t actually like Fujisaki and didn’t find her particularly attractive. She was small, delicate, and *weak* and, while some would say that was the omega ideal, it didn’t appeal to him. Nor did the fact she always looked to be one harsh word or look away from bursting into tears. He could honestly say, without hesitation, that were he himself there would be nothing but contempt and irritation there.  

It was purely hormonal, caused by the soft powdery scent of omega that clung to her and made his alpha teeth itch and heart pound. It was disgusting to think that he, of all people, would find his mind and body at odds in such a manner. He was better than this, wasn’t he? 

Usually yes.

She wasn’t even interesting! The opposite, actually, because Fujisaki flat out bored him and was hardly worth thinking about. 

The fact of the matter was he was going into rut. Soon. Was honestly toeing the line already; he could feel it in the way his muscles ached, in the anger swimming in his gut and the prickling unease under his skin when his eyes slid over Ishimaru or Celestia or any of the other alphas. In the way it hurt him to stay in one place. In the furious animal thing he could feel slithering and coiling in his chest, constricting around his lungs and heart. 

He read it in his...preoccupation with the lone omega in his proximity, even though he knew that was a path he had no interest in venturing down. At least not while in his right mind. A rut though...a rut was a different story. He’d only had two ruts in his life before his father had set doctors to work out a suppressant that would ‘fix’ him. He didn’t remember them, which was strange in and of itself because alphas weren’t supposed to lose themselves like omegas did in heat, but he did remember eventually waking up to find he’d destroyed his rut room. The linens torn to shreds, the scant amount of furniture broken, the wall paper torn and long gouges from his nails in any surface that couldn’t be torn apart. He’d been battered, bruised, covered in scratch marks, blood, sweat, and...other fluids. 

Byakuya was...flawed in one very unfortunate way. Alpha Aggression Disorder. Some aggression, possessiveness and territorial behavior with a chance to act out if another alpha intruded, was normal. Byakuya’s behavior was not. Nor was his rut cycle; the two he’d had had been only a month apart instead of the average 6 months. 

That was why he’d needed those specific suppressants and why, without them, he knew trouble was coming. He couldn’t afford to be out of his head, not here, not with these people, not during this game. He couldn’t tell anyone, dared not put a spotlight on himself in that manner, but-

“Alright, what the fuck is with you?” 

He needed Oowada to not be yelling in his face. And yet there he was, leaning on the table with his teeth bared and aggression rolling off of him in waves. Byakuya stared back, impassively. For all his bluster and aggression Oowada was just a beta, albeit a large and arrogant one. He carried himself like an alpha, like someone who believed he should be in control; it was...Byakuya hesitated to say it got under his skin. But yes, Oowada bothered him more than some of the others could ever hope to. He didn’t know his place, didn’t know when to defer to his betters. Sometimes Byakuya itched to knock him down a peg or two and he knew he couldn’t, that such a thing was unseemly and uncivilized, not the act of one such as himself. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said, tone bland and full of forced calm. 

Oowada’s left hand became a fist and slammed onto the table. There were yelps behind him, from the others, and he saw Fukawa moved out of the corner of his eye (he hoped she wasn’t going to give herself away so soon.) but Byakuya didn’t look away from the angry beta. 

“Bullshit. You’ve been glaring to Fujisaki all morning. You’re freaking her out.” 

Fujisaki squeaked. “N-no. It’s-”

“Why do you care?” Byakuya leaned back in his seat, blinking mildly. That he’d been noticed, had zoned out so completely that he hadn’t realized how obvious he was being, was troubling. But not unforeseen because, and this was the second problem, Fujisaki wasn’t on suppressants either. He’d never been around an omega who was close to their heat, didn’t know that scent, and yet he absolutely knew it was coming. Some buried instinct, passed along through the ages, that was worth more than even first hand experience. 

He could smell and taste Fujisaki’s impending heat it in the air, growing stronger with each passing day, a thick cloying sweetness that clung to his tongue and made him want to retch. Too sweet, too  _ nice _ , too...too much sugar. That was what Fujisaki was, a too rich dessert that turned the stomach. 

But he couldn’t stop staring in spite of that. It was bothersome.

But Oowada being in his face was more troubling than all of that, at least for the moment. As the beta leaned in closer he found himself grinding his teeth together and clenching his hands at his side.

He needed to stay calm. He needed to stay in control and not let his impending rut, and all the angry violent impulses that came with it, make him act out of character.

He shouldn’t have come to this pointless meeting at all. He needed to find a place to hide out until his rut was over. Except that was impossible and he knew it; there was no real privacy here, no where everyone didn’t already know existed, and there was no way he could expect to be left alone for the week it would take a solo rut to pass. No way he could expect anyone to just...stay away while he hid out somewhere. He could assume no one would use that perfect opportunity to kill him or, worse, make it look like he’d killed someone during his rut. He’d be unable to defend himself against such an accusation and, with how violent he seemed to become, it would be easy to place the blame on him.

It was...an issue.

“What do you mean, why do I care?” Oowada growled. “Because scaring girls and making them cry ain't okay and you’ve been doing it for days. If ya have a problem ya need to-” 

“No. I think you’re worried someone else might be interested in Fujisaki.” Byakuya pushed his glasses up over his nose and, shooting a stern look in Fukawa’s direction, pressed on even though the biker’s face was turning an angry mottled red. A chair scraped across the floor ad Naegi’s voice, nervous but clear, called for them to stop. Too late for that, the angry thing that lived under Byakuya's skin and knew it’d be let out soon demanded he put this challenger in his proper place. “What I don’t understand is why. Is Ishimaru not enough for you? Bored already or simply looking for a third?” 

The silence was...satisfying. The thunderstruck look on the beta’s face even more so. One of the upsides to not being on suppressants was that it gave him a layer of extra insight that only scenting could bring. He knew that Oowada’s mild beta scent lingered all over Ishimaru and not in the way that simply came with ‘friendly’ closeness. No, they stank of arousal and sex and sweat and carried each other on their skin and clothing. 

Byakuya had no opinion on their relationship beyond noting that they’d gone from disliking each other to being ‘brothers’ to fucking in what had to be record time. 

The silence that followed stretched on long enough for Byakuya to glance around. Ishimaru was turning an ugly shade of purple, Fujisaki was bright red and tears were brimming in her eyes (He felt a pang at that. Upsetting an omega, especially one as weak as Fujisaki, grated more than he would have thought) and everyone else was wearing some level of shock, interest, or disappointment.

He turned towards Fukawa to shoot her a stern look that he sincerely hoped communicated that he didn’t want her to get involved or risk giving herself away. She was, for the moment, one of the game pieces he had control of. He wasn’t ready to let go of the edge he had gained in realizing who she really was. She bit her lip, eyes wide and hands clasped in front of her, but settled back into her seat, turning away. 

Hopefully that would be good enough because he was about to, hopefully, cause a scene without actually being part of said scene. If this went well he’d be able to leave and no one would bother looking for him for a while. It wasn’t his best plan, rathe hastily thrown together really, but it would get him away for now and he needed to be away. 

“Wait.” Celestia’s voice rang out, laughter shaking her words. “Seriously? You two?” She pointed between Oowada and Ishimaru, lips spreading into an almost manic grin. “Or three? Is that it? Oh, Fujisaki I am shocked! How lewd-”

“NO!” Fujisaki shrieked, shaking her head frantically and covering her face with her hands. 

“Not yet.” Byakuya said, voice so low he knew only Oowada could hear, as he rose to his feet. “But her heat is coming and then every  _ alpha _ here will be doing more than staring-”

If Oowada has been the sort to stop and think before he acted he’d want to know how Byakuya knew anything about Fujisaki’s heat. He’d want to know how he knew about his relationship with Ishimaru. He’d want to know why Byakuya was so obviously pushing his buttons. But he wasn’t the stop and think kind, he was the punch in the face kind. 

Even though he knew it was coming, had braced himself for it, it hurt more than he was prepared for. He went down, stars filling his vision and warm liquid metal filling his mouth. Someone shouted and then there was the sound of scuffling, a furious roar, some shrieking, and maybe the sounds of some chairs being knocked over. 

He very distinctly heard the word ‘heat’ and then, just as his vision was clearing up, saw Fujisaki dashing from the cafeteria with Asahina on her heels. Oowada was cowering before an angry looking Ogami while Ishimaru tried to order her to ‘stand down’, Kigiri was frowning hard at the table, and Celestia was watching it all as if Christmas had come early. The rest just looked some kind of confused. Except for Naegi who, it seemed, had come around to stand over him while he’d been busy...bleeding. 

A lot. 

He hadn’t foreseen there being so blood pouring from his nose.

“You should go to the nurse's office.” Naegi said softly; his eyes were wide, startled, but also curious. “I’ll go with you.” 

Byakuya opened his mouth to refuse the offer then, after giving it a moment of thought, nodded. Better to have someone with him, just in case, and if he had to choose better Naegi than anyone else. He was easily the least dangerous among the other students, too stupidly obsessed with everyone living to the end to ever kill anyone. 

For the moment at least.

But maybe not as stupid as originally assumed. They were walking down the hall, nearly to the nurse's office, when the smaller teen spoke. 

“Did you get Oowada mad at you so you’d have an excuse to avoid everyone while you were in rut?” 

There was a squawk of alarm behind them, Fukawa no doubt (how she hadn’t passed out he didn’t know, unless she was managing to somehow not actually look at him) but neither of them bothered to turn and look. Instead Byakuya sputtered in shock then cringed as his nose started to throb again and more salty liquid dripped down his throat. Disgusting. He huffed and tilted his head back again; never again would he attempt to carry out a plan that would potentially cause him pain. 

“I have no idea-”

Hazel eyes slid over to look at him. Naegi looked painfully unimpressed. Byakuya was honestly a little offended. “I can smell it on you.” With that Naegi’s cheeks went faintly pink and he averted his eyes, seemingly embarrassed.  

“Impossible. Betas can’t-”

“I’m not a beta.” Naegi pushed open the door of the nurse’s office. “I’m an omega.” 

Fukawa squawked again, louder than the first time. Byakuya found, as he watched Naegi step into the nurse’s office, that he could relate. 


	2. Second Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things are inevitable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naegi is...a bit more forceful than usual in this AU, maybe. Or...well. At least when alone with Byakuya and intent on getting what he wants out of their encounter.

 

They left Fukawa in the hallway, Naegi going to far as to lock the door behind them, much to her obvious displeasure. She lurked outside the door; Byakuya could see her shadow passing under the door every so often, though she remained silent. It was about as creepy as he’d come to expect her to be so he didn’t think anything of it.

Instead he sat, head tilted back as he pinched his nose, as he watched Naegi gather items from around the nurse's office. An ice pack, tape, towel, gauze, sterile wipes, and gloves were all lined up on the cot next to Byakuya and a plastic basin was placed in his lap. Byakuya eyed the basin and the bottle of water that was rolling around inside of it then looked at the line of supplies. He wouldn’t have pegged Naegi for one with First Aid knowledge.

“To rinse out any blood in your mouth after. Don’t, uh, swish too hard, you’ll hurt your nose.” Naegi explained as he started to pull on the gloves. “Can you let go?”

Byakuya started to frown but stopped when he found the motion caused twinges of pain. “I’d prefer to not bleed anymore if possible.”

“I don’t think you will.” Naegi said, shaking his head. “It’s been a few minutes.”

“I wasn’t aware that your were some manner of medical expert.” He didn’t bother hiding the skepticism in his voice even as he, warily, stopped pinching his nose shut and let his head come down. He felt a wet tickle and warmth trickling out of his nose but it was nothing near the veritable waterfall of blood he’d been dreading.

Naegi smiled. “Told you.”

Byakuya bristled in irritation, who the hell did Naegi think he was gloating like that, as if he was supposed to know how to handle injuries from fighting. But his usual scatching remark stalled on his tongue when the smaller teen put a hand under his chin and, lips pursed, began to dab one of the wipes against his face. His fingers were warm through the material of the gloves and his grip was surprisingly firm. He leaned in close, the fact Byakuya was sitting while he was standing putting them more or less at the same height, and warm breath that smelled faintly of syrup brushed over his face.

“That is hardly need-” He started, hand twitching up to push Naegi away.

“You’ll be too rough and restart the bleeding. Alphas are always so rough with everything.” The smaller teen said softly, eyes on Byakuya but focus clearly somewhere else.

Byakuya hesitated, blinking owlishly as he tried to make sense of that and the odd tone: equal parts amused and frustrated. Naegi continued to clean the blood from his face and, much as he was loathe to admit it, he had a very soft touch. There were some twinges of pain but, for the most part, he worked quickly and calmly, kept his motions light. A pile of red tinged wipes started to form next to them.

He wasn’t sure why he allowed it. It wasn’t as if he needed Naegi’s help with the task, or anyone’s help with anything. He was perfectly capable of tending to his own injuries but, on the other hand, it was already happening. And it wasn’t so different from letting a servant handle the insignificant things, was it? Yes, it was just like that.

“I was bullied some, in junior high.” Naegi said, gaze lowering as he tossed another wipe onto the pile. “And I’m pretty clumsy. I got used to patching myself up so my parents wouldn’t find out.”

“You aren’t an omega.”

“I’m not?” His lips twitched in a way that spoke of suppressed laughter and that was just too much. He’d give up this game and let someone kill him before he let someone like Naegi, some painfully mediocre commoner whose only skill was that he sometimes got lucky (whatever the hell that was supposed to mean) laugh at him. He jerked away, glaring darkly as he clucked his tongue. Time to end this farce and get back to handling his own problems.

“I don’t know what you intended to gain by claiming otherwise, but if you were an omega I doubt people would have stood by and let you be bullied so often you had to gain first aid ability.” He could see where some dysfunctional alphas or betas, or even other omegas, might bully an omega but he couldn’t imagine teachers or other students letting it happen.

Allowing an omega to be in pain was something that was contrary to alpha instincts; it wasn’t something they were built to merely stand aside and witness. He’d felt an uncomfortable itch under his skin every time Fujisaki teared up or seemed distressed (which was often) and there was always an urge to step forward and provide comfort in spite of not liking her in the least. The impulse existed as something outside of his control, a baked in part of being an alpha, an evolutionary instinct to keep omegas safe. He managed to suppress it but he couldn’t imagine lesser alphas, like the ones Naegi had no doubt associated with before, being able to do so.

Certainly not to the degree of allowing anyone to consistently bully an omega. That was absurd.

“And you don’t scent like an omega.” He added for good measure. “Why you would lie I don’t know but in the future I would-”

Naegi leaned in close, closer even than he’d been before, and tilted his head to the side in what could only be an invitation. Byakuya's mouth dropped open even as he acknowledged, silently and would never say outloud, that Naegi Makoto had a way of consistently surprising him. People didn’t go around just baring their necks and throats others like it was nothing, at least they didn’t in the civilized circles Byakuya was used to. For one it was a submissive gesture, something a Togami would never do, and beyond that it suggested a certain level of trust.

A level that he and Naegi most assuredly weren’t at. In fact Byakuya wasn’t sure he trusted anyone enough to show them his throat; some of that was alpha instinct to never submit or be vulnerable but some of it was just husband nature. Putting trust in others was asking to be disappointed and he hated being disappointed. It was better to rely on himself and his own ability than to bare his throat or ask for aid.

If Naegi had anything resembling a working brain in his head he would have the same policy but, instead, he seemed to delight in putting himself on the line for others. Or to make some point in this case. He honestly couldn’t imagine what Naegi thought he was doing or what he intended to prove with such a gesture.

Still, better to get this handled now. Maybe he was unhinged and really believed he was an omega? If so there might have been merit in playing along, just as he was doing with Fukawa. The more pawns he could get on his board the better.

He leaned closer as well and breathed in, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Naegi didn’t smell like an omega, not even one on suppressants with a dulled scent. He smelled like…

Actually.

He didn’t have a scent. There was a hint of soap and something fresh, like apples perhaps, a touch of sweat and skin, and the smell of laundry clinging to him but that was all on the surface, scents picked up that sat on the skin. But there should have been something under it that was unique to Naegi, something that spoke to his second gender, but there was nothing at all. He moved closer without realizing he was doing it, could feel the heat from his skin and hear the quiet sound of him breathing. He swallowed and Byakuya’s eyes traced the length of his pale throat as it bobbed; when he turned his head he could see that Naegi’s eyes were half-lidded, lashes long and dark as the fanned over his skin, and his lips were parted. His tongue darted out to swipe over his lips. Naegi tilted his head a little more, neck stretching. Byakuya felt his face heating up and, as he curled his hands into fists at his side, the way his heartbeat had picked up.

“You don’t-” His voice did something strange, rose up and broke. Naegi’s blinked his eyes open fully and turned some. Damp air fanned across his cheek and Naegi’s nose nudged at him. A shiver raced up his spine and a heavy feeling he couldn’t put a name to settled in his stomach. “You don’t have a scent. How?”

As far as Byakuya knew there was no way to scrub a scent completely. You could dim it, and betas naturally had very mild scents, but to have none at all? That was...he didn’t know what that was but the words impossible and unnatural came to mind.

“Lucky, I guess.” Naegi’s voice struck a strange note, husky and quiet, and Byakuya could feel the words against his skin.

His stomach flipped.

His hands flexed and he tried to breathe in, to right the world that was once again attempting to tilt on its axis with no regard for his footing, but all he managed was to shift to stare into the other’s eyes. Naegi blinked and there was a whisper of contact, long lashes fluttering against his skin. Something was happening, he could feel a crawling under his skin, as if insects had found their way inside of him, and warmth pooled low in his gut.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to steady himself. What was happening here? Why-

“I wanted to talk to you about your rut.”

“What?!” He knew he was blushing, hated himself for it, and his eyes widened. He sputtered for a moment then, gathering himself up to sit straight and rigid, glared. He knew Naegi had a vastly different upbringing, and that ‘common people’ had their own moral codes but surely they didn't go around casually discussing their heats and ruts. That was just...obscene. Vulgar.

And yet he didn't push the supposed omega away or move himself to gain distance. Not even when a hand so much smaller than his own, now devoid of gloves, touched his arm. He hated being touched, hated having people in his person space, hated Naegi and how the other students flocked to him because he'd been lucky in the first trial. But it was if his limbs were made of lead and had become too heavy to even consider moving. So he scoffed instead.

“I don't see why that is any concern of yours Naegi.”

“Right. Well…” Naegi blinked rapidly, cheeks turning pink. “I know you're worried about something happening during it and I...well. I don't want anything to happen to you- or anyone, you know? So I thought I'd offer to...help.”

Byakuya was certain, in the moment, that he had lost his mind. Perhaps Hope’s Peak was in fact some sort of delusion borne of too much stress and far too many late nights spent studying and working, a product of his shattered mind. That was the only explanation, as far as he was concerned, for Naegi Makoto, who was painfully average but perhaps a little lucky and maybe after than Byakuya had originally assumed and yes, fine, oddly fascinating, offering to help him with his rut. Nothing else made sense except insanity.

“I don't know what you had planned but making people mad won't get you the week alone you'd need for a solo rut. Someone is going to notice you ‘missing’.” Naegi barreled on, seemingly unaware that Byakuya was currently questioning his very reality and, in fact, existence within reality. “You won't be able to leave your room, or wherever you plan to hide out, so you'll need someone to bring you food and water and look after you, someone to make sure you don’t go wandering-”

“I do not need-”

“But you will need someone!” The smaller teen insisted, expression open and earnest. “If someone decides to kill again, not that I think anyone would-” He looks down again and Byakuya can read how much the idea pains him. “You’d be a perfect target. You'd be alone, you'd be vulnerable-”

Byakuya’s teeth ground together and an angry noise rumbled in his chest before he could control it. This wasn't anything he hadn't already considered himself but hearing someone else say it, to hear that he'd be perceived as a target, chafed. He was already painfully aware that his alpha status was on the verge of becoming a weakness and he didn’t need to be reminded by Naegi of all possible people.

“And it’s like being in heat, right? If you go through it alone it can take up to a week but if someone is with you then it might only be a couple of days. You’d be back to your usual self faster.”

Naegi’s entire face and neck were red and his shoulders had drawn up, like he was trying to hide inside his ugly sweatshirt, but his expression was one that Byakuya recognized from the trial. Determined, focused, and confident in what he was saying, quite the contrast from how uncertain he seemed to be normally. Byakuya still wasn’t sure what to make of the backbone Naegi had seemed to find in the trial room and he’d spent...entirely too much time trying to puzzle out, turning everything he knew over and over in his head, trying to tease out an answer. Of everyone here Naegi should have been the easiest to understand, as unremarkable as he was, and yet he seemed to have endless surprises up his sleeve.

Like this one.

Offering to spend his rut with him was so far from anything he would have considered a possibility that Byakuya was completely speechless. Not because he was entertaining the notion, he absolutely was not doing any such thing, but because his brain refused to even consider it as a real thing. It was simply too absurd on too many levels.

“Togami-kun,” Naegi sad, lips pulling downward. “I know-”

Suddenly all too aware of how close they were Byakuya jerked away, cursing under his breath as he did. He stood up and brushed past the other, surprising himself with how careful he was when part of him wanted to push Naegi away and rip into him for presuming he was allowed to be in his space or poke his nose into his personal business like he was. He reached up to push his glasses up his nose, an anxious gesture, but a flash of pain had him hissing through his teeth.

Naegi sighed. “Be careful. It isn’t broken and we won’t need the gauze, I don’t think, unless you mess with it. You might even avoid black eyes.” There was a pause and a sound like feet shuffling. “You deserved it but I think Oowada-kun pulled his punch at the end.”  

“I suppose you’d know.” Byakuya scoffed, trying to force derision into his voice. He didn’t disagree that he’d deserved Oowada’s anger, that had been the point, but he wasn’t going to be admitting that outloud. “It’s not very friendly of you to suggest he should have done otherwise.”

“I helped to clean you up and-”

“I didn’t ask for your help nor do I need it.” He snapped. He glanced over his shoulder, saw that Naegi was wrapping the towel around the icepack, and frowned. “I can do that.”

“I know.” Green eyes flicked up towards him and Byakuya looked away, scowling harder. “Accepting help isn’t such a bad thing. If we’re going to get out of here we have to work together.”

“And having sex-” Naegi coughed. “Is how you intend to work together? Are you making this offer to all the alphas here? Is that the sort of person- the sort of _omega_ you are?”

Not that it was his business. Naegi could fuck every other alpha in the group, and the betas if he was so inclined, for all that it mattered to Byakuya. He didn’t care at all. Why would he?

The ice pack was thrust into his field of vision. “ **No.** All the other alphas are on suppressants, for one. It’s just you and the omegas who aren’t.”

He wasn’t sure what bothered him more, that he was the only alpha in such a situation or the implication that if he weren’t Naegi would indeed offer his ‘help’ to others. Or, perhaps, the warm flush that had crept over his skin with Naegi once again invading his personal space.

He swallowed then forced himself to face the smaller teen again. “Why? What could you possibly gain from this?”

Naegi tilted his head the side, the picture of confusion. “Gain? I just...I want everyone to get out of here. I want to protect my friends.”

As if they were friends; how many times did he have to tell these simpletons that he wasn’t in this to make friends? He was in it to win the game and that was all there was to it. And, even if they were friends, somehow, he still wouldn’t have believed such a thing. No, there had to be more going on than that, some reason for this. Not even Naegi could consider such a thing within the realm of friendly action. No, there had to be more, something that made it worthwhile to him- wait.

“You aren’t on suppressants either. You’re going to go into heat eventually.” He said slowly, tasting the words as he formed a clearer picture in his head. “Even on suppressants the other alphas will notice. They’ll fight each other and chase after you, whether you like it or not. But if you already belong to someone they’ll stay away.”

That made sense. This wasn’t some selfless offer and, knowing that, some of the tension that had gathered drained away. Acting out of selfishness, to protect oneself at a later date, he could understand. It wasn’t something he intended to go along with but he understood it. The prospect of going into heat when surrounded by so many alphas had to be daunting; no matter how much Naegi trusted them a heat would change things. To tell an alpha with even the most impressive of self-control to do nothing when an omega was begging, and it went without question that that’s what would happen, was asking more than most had to give.

Naegi shook his head, expression melting into something almost sad. “No one has ever done anything for you without wanting something back, have they?”

He pushed his lips together until they were numb, refusing to dignify that with a response. What the hell did Naegi know about him, about anything at all, to think that he could say things like that to him?To think that he could do any of this and why-

The now familiar chime that came before an announcement filled the air; the TV anchored in the corner of the room turned on to show Monokuma’s smiling visage. “School announcement, school announcement! It’s been a week and yer all still living and ya know what that means! Everyone to the gym to receive yer next motive.” The bear’s red eye glowed and it’s lips parted to show off rows of razor sharp teeth.

Byakuya stood up straighter, something like dread rising up his throat. Another motive? Now? Assuming it was as effective as the videos had been this was sure to put someone on edge and send them looking to get out the only way that was possible. And so close to his rut...he figured he had a day. Maybe less if the way he was reacting to Naegi’s proximity was any indicator.

Naegi eyed him for a moment then, after forcing the ice pack into his hand, turned on his heel to leave. “For the record, I don’t intend to _belong_ to anyone. Least of all you.”

\---

Byakuya couldn’t feel his fingers. They were clutching the ‘secret’ Monokuma had given him so tightly his knuckles were white from the pressure. It was only a few simple words, printed in heavy ink, but he felt like his heart had stopped.

‘Togami Byakuya is without suppressants and will be going into rut soon.’

He knew it was something that would be known eventually but he’d been hoping to get through most of it before anyone noticed he wasn’t around and started trying to figure out what was happening. He had already been hoping for a lot, to think he’d be able to stay hidden away for an entire week, but if everyone was aware of what was happening…

He’d be safe in his room if he locked the door but there was still the matter of food and fluids. And making himself stay in his room and not give in to the urge to find someone to mate with or opening his door to the wrong person. And that was all assuming Monokuma would allow him to just remain in his room and wouldn’t demand he participate in ‘school activities’.

To say nothing of what he would do if someone else died and a trial occurred. There was no way he’d be able to stand being in the same room as so many other alphas without lashing out at them. Or worse, at Monokuma. That stupid bear already set off every alarm bell in his head; he was forcing them all to submit to him, whoever he really was, and play his stupid game and that was something that alpha parts of Byakuya, the angry animal brain, could barely tolerate as it was.

Or, a traitorous part of his his brain whispered, he could do what it took to end his rut faster. Enlist the aid of someone who was too naive and hopeful to be a risk, but would pose as a deterrent to anyone who wanted to target him. And, supposedly, omegas were able to keep alphas calm in even the worst of ruts. They could help them keep from succumbing to the primal beasts that came to the surface during ruts.

But Byakuya didn’t have normal ruts and Naegi was, at best, a defective omega. (He was still half-convinced the smaller teen was a beta who’d lost his mind and started projecting some of Maizono’s traits upon himself) Assuming he’d actually be able to help was taking a risk; he was lacking far too much information to make that leap.

But.

He needed to do something, soon and options were limited. And one solution seemed like it would take care of everything.

Monokuma had given them 48 hours for a murder to happen or the secrets were out. Byakuya was sure he’d already be in rut by then; he couldn’t wait that long to figure out a solution.

He looked up, eyes flitting around the gym. He made sure his face reflected nothing but the others weren’t so limited. There was shock, worry, fear, anger, and in a few cases thoughtfulness. Ishimaru, for example, didn’t seem to be that bothered at all. Kirigiri looked as blank faced as she always did. Fukawa was staring at nothing, eyes glazed and fingers tugging on the ends of her braids.

Naegi was among the thoughtful but, as if sensing Byakuya’s gaze on him, he looked up from his paper. Their eyes met; Naegi’s widened in surprise briefly and then narrowed in silent question.

“Fuck this!” Oowada roared. His own secret was crumpled up in his hand and, without another word, he stormed out of the gym. Ishimaru went after him and as if a dam was being broken the others started to file out as well, all of them silent and eyeing each other warily.

Byakuya went with the group, eyes straight ahead and mouth set in a line. When he brushed past Naegi he spoke softly. “Come to my room tonight.”

He didn’t wait for a response, breaking away from the crowd to head for the stairs. There were things in the library he wanted to see to while he was still able.

And he needed to very seriously think about all of the life choices that had brought him to this moment.

\---

Naegi showed up just before ten and hurriedly slipped past him into his room once the door was open. Byakuya glanced up and down the hallway, making sure there was no one (Fukawa) lurking in the shadows, then pushed the door shut. He locked it, checked to make sure it was really locked, then turned around to face his...guest only to jerk back in surprise. He’d expect Naegi to sit down or...at least step away but he was only a step or two away, close enough to reach out and touch. Green eyes were dark and narrowed, staring up at him.

“You smell good.”

The warm flush from earlier returned, sweeping over him then settling in the pit of his stomach.

“...I want to be clear here. I don’t _need_ your help,” Naegi rolled his eyes (He seemed to be doing that a lot when they were alone together.) and stepped closer; Byakuya would, of course, never back down from another person but also the door was against his back so there was no where to go. He swallowed then pointed at the other, determined to finish what he was saying and make it clear that this was on his terms. He was in control here. “I am just able to see the logic in trying to control the length of my rut and mmph!”

Small hands fisted in his shirt and he was yanked down as Naegi rose up onto his toes. Their mouths collided hard; Byakuya’s teeth mashed against the back of his lips and his nose ached. He went perfectly still, staring wide-eyed and arms limp at his side, as lips moved against his own. Naegi’ yes were shut tight, the skin at the side crinkled from the force, his lips were soft and wet, and color was settling on his cheeks again.

What the hell?

Naegi’s lips slid and his head tipped and then the kiss changed, softened as their mouths suddenly fit together. Byakuya felt a wet touch, swiping over the seam of his lips, and when his mouth parted in surprise (What the fuck was happening?) Naegi’s tongue slipped into his mouth.

The smaller teen pressed closer, forced him back against the door, and a smaller hand found the back of his neck, holding him firmly.

Was he...was this happening?

Why did he suddenly feel like he might not actually be the one in control?

\---

Junko watched Naegi, strange little omega Naegi who couldn't omega properly, pull away from Togami only to start corralling the alpha towards the bed. She bit her lip and rubbed her fingers over the braided leather bracelet in her hand. She wasn't surprised they'd found their way back to each other, trying to keep a bonded pair apart was an impossibility, their bodies knew each other even if their brains didn't, there was science behind that, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon. Or for Togami to be so utterly cowed right out the gate. Such a big bad arrogant alpha, so convinced he was above them all, but, once again, he was bending for  _that_ omega. 

She'd hoped Naegi would go into heat first, that Togami would be goaded into a dominance display because, memories or not, he would never be able to allow someone else to have his omega. He would fight and kill or, she hoped, be beaten and have to watch his precious little Naegi with someone else. It would kill him and he wouldn't even know why! She squealed at the thought, giggling for a moment then going stone faced because there was no way that would happen now. 

Stupid Togami, messing up her plans again. 

Even without memories he seemed unable to help himself. Naegi ruined him, every time, with no effort at all. He made Togami weak, opened him up for Junko to get her hooks into. He made Togami care about things other than himself and with caring came the most delicious despair. 

They'd proven that to her time and again. She couldn't wait to tear them apart again. And then, hopefully, to be able to show one of them the big reveal. Surprise, your bondmate is dead! All the better if one killed the other or, oh, they voted to send the other to be punished. 

It would be gut wrenchingly awful. 

_"Naegi." Togami pinched the bridge of his nose. "What are you wearing?"_

_The omega blushed and Junko smirked behind her hand. Her sister shifted next to her, so uncomfortable that her barely there beta scent was dripping with it. Junko wanted to laugh, wanted to grab her traitorous sister and drag her closer to Naegi and force her to hear every word. She wanted to pluck her eyes out and scream until her sister's ears were bleeding 'Look, I told you he wouldn't want you! I told you no one but me could ever love you.'_

_Junko was always right._

_"Um. It's the alternate boy's omega uniform." Naegi muttered, eyes darting over to Junko who flashed him a thumbs up. His throat bobbed as he swallowed and one of his hands pulled at the hem of his skirt._

_The rest of the uniform was hidden behind his ever present hoodie, but the skirt and knee highs were very visible. Hope's Peak was a fairly liberal place, one of the first to allow mixed dynamic classes and not demand male omegas wear a girl's uniform...but they had the option for those who prefered to present the more traditional way. To someone who didn't know Togami well it was easy to believe he'd like that traditional omega look. Junko knew better._

_She was practically salivating at the thought of how humiliated Naegi would be when he realized he'd worn that uniform for no reason at all._

_"Junko-san said you would...like it more?"_

_"Oh? Did she?" Togami's tone was so cold it was a wonder he wasn't breathing ice. She squirmed with delight, eager for the rejection she knew was coming. "I see."_

_"And. Um." He breathed in, visibly gathering his strength, then slammed down the small box he was holding down on Togami's desk. "Here! It's...I want to court you."_

_Silence. The entire room was silent. Junko bit her lip so hard she could taste blood; her heart was thudding and god, the tension was so sweet. She let out a soft moan and licked her lips. Almost there. Any second._

_"You want to court me?" Togami spat each word like they were the worst thing he'd ever tasted. "You got me a courting gift."_

_Naegi nodded one, refusing to back down. "Yes!"_

_"You, a pathetic unremarkable, scentless omega, presume to try and court me? An alpha. An exceptional alpha."  Togami's hand came down on the box, musing the ribbon wrapped around it. Naegi flinched with every word and Junko's head swam as heat coiled in her stomach. "Are you insane?"_

_Naegi eyes darted over to Junko again. She was the one he'd come to about his interest in the heir and she was the only who'd helped him. She's told him to try the more traditional look, helped him tame his hair for the occasion, even fixed the clips into it, and she'd painted his nails and put make up on him. Loaned him shoes for the occasion. Told him the best thing to do was to ask to court Togami and waved away his concerns. Yes, it was usually alphas who made that move and yes, some alphas would find it terribly offensive to have an omega approach them but surely Togami-kun would appreciate his boldness._

_Togami turned slightly, icy eyes falling on Junko for a moment. There was fury just under his glacial surface and a promise of violence in the set of his mouth. He was so upset; she wanted to capture that face and remember it forever. Togami was one of the few who resisted her friendship and rebuffed attempts at closeness. She'd never been able to get at him before but here, in this, she could see the cracks. He blinked and everything was smooth ice again but too late, Junko had already seen._

_"Okay." Togami faced Naegi again. "I accept."_

_Junko choked on her own spit._

_"What?!" Kuwata shouted, shattering the silence in the classroom. The others started talking, chattering swiftly becoming a dull roar as they began to swarm Naegi and Togami. The latter of whom looked completely disgusted._

_Naegi's mouth dropped open in shock then, a second later, curled into a face splitted grin. "Y-you do?"_

_Togami tugged at the ribbon on the box. "Assuming this isn't a terrible first gift and you go and put on pants immediately, yes. I will allow you to court me."_

_Junko sat back in her seat, blinking in confusion._

_Was this what blue balls felt like?  How unsatisfying._

_A soft noise to the side made her turn. Her sister was hunched in on herself, head bowed, hands curled into such tight fists that Junko could see blood welling up under her unkempt nails. Her eyes were wide and unfocused. Junko tilted her head to the side, considering the reaction, then shrugged. Her sister's despair would have to do for now. And, she perked up a little more as her eyes found Mondo and Ishimaru, smiling with their mouths but stormy behind the eyes, there was always the doomed alpha male-beta male love affair to look after._

Junko thumbed at the small silver disk hanging from the leather bracelet, tracing the familiar N.M. engraved in the surface. Togami's scent still clung to it, nearly seventeen months of wear between the day he'd been given the bracelet and the day Mukuro had so eagerly cut it from his wrist. Junko considered, as she dropped the bracelet back into the box of personal items she'd confiscated from her friends (contraband wasn't allowed after all. This was a good wholesome school!), how her sister could have reacted to Togami and Naegi finding their way back to each other so soon. 

And laughed as tears filled her eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's a story without a little Junko PoV/pre despair flashback, really?

**Author's Note:**

> Next Chapter: An offer, secrets, motivation, and that pesky pesky rut.


End file.
